After finishing the last store, Lin Jianqing was already a little tired.
Not physically tired—mostly mentally.
Accompanying Shen Huaixue on a shopping trip might look like just shopping on the surface, but in reality, it was more like a sustained test of Lin Jianqing’s mental defenses.
When she bought clothes, she asked for his opinion. If he answered seriously, she’d joke around. If he gave a perfunctory answer, she’d still laugh.
If he stayed silent, Shen Huaixue would still ask in a tone that made you want to call the police: “Student Lin, are you implying that I look good in everything by default?”
Who could withstand that? Lin Jianqing felt that his emotional output today had already exceeded his quota, and he could even ask Shen Huaixue to pay him extra wages.
What made it worse was that Shen Huaixue had been holding his arm since a while ago, walking naturally as if they were a real couple out shopping.
Pedestrians in the mall kept glancing their way. At first, Lin Jianqing would freeze up, but now he was so numb he just wanted to shut down his brain.
Anyway, passersby didn’t know who he was, nor that he was a guy.
Nor did they know what kind of absurd life scenario he was currently experiencing.
‘I guess this is the kind of self-comfort an adult is supposed to have, even though strictly speaking I’m still just an unlucky male college student.’
Shen Huaixue finished paying, and the shop assistant handed over several shopping bags. Lin Jianqing subconsciously reached out, but Shen Huaixue took them first, then naturally shoved the lightest bag into his hand.
Lin Jianqing looked down at it.
“You bought these clothes yourself. Why are you making me carry them?”
Shen Huaixue turned her face sideways and looked at him, her tone perfectly natural.
“When a couple goes shopping, isn’t it normal for my ‘girlfriend’ to carry the bags?”
When Lin Jianqing heard the word “girlfriend,” his eyelid twitched.
“Can you stop saying things off the top of your head? When did I become your girlfriend?”
“Then do you want to be my boyfriend?” Shen Huaixue raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze sweeping over the clothes he was wearing today. “Although, given your current state, calling you my boyfriend might not be very convincing.”
Lin Jianqing took a deep breath and decided not to argue with her.
He couldn’t win anyway, and besides, standing in front of the women’s clothing store dressed like this, discussing whether he was her boyfriend or girlfriend—the scene itself was already abnormal enough. If he kept arguing, he’d be the one who ended up embarrassed in the end.
When they walked out of the women’s clothing section on that floor of the mall, Lin Jianqing checked the time.
It was almost 3:00 PM. He finally saw a glimmer of hope.
At this hour, if he went back to school now, he’d still have time to change, go to the hospital to see his mother, and come back at night to catch up on homework.
Although his rest plan for today had already been torn to shreds by Shen Huaixue, at least he could salvage a few scraps.
Just as Lin Jianqing was about to say he should head back, Shen Huaixue glanced at her phone first, as if confirming an itinerary.
“Almost time. Let’s go.”
Lin Jianqing was startled.
“Go where?”
“To watch the competition.”
“What competition?”
Shen Huaixue put her phone away, her tone very flat.
“The Linzhou City Superpower Competition.”
Lin Jianqing was silent for two seconds. He suddenly remembered why his dorm room had been empty this morning.
His roommates had been talking about it last night, saying there was a superpower competition in the city center today. There were even a few A-level Awakeners competing, and tickets had almost sold out.
They were afraid they wouldn’t get in if they arrived late, so they’d left early in the morning.
Lin Jianqing had just woken up then, and his mind was only filled with the message from Shen Huaixue: “Change your clothes, do your own makeup.” He hadn’t paid close attention.
Now, here he was. His roommates had gone out excitedly this morning like they were going to a festival to watch the competition.
And he, Lin Jianqing, now, was also going.
Wearing women’s clothing, with makeup on, and being held by the arm by Shen Huaixue.
What was he supposed to do if someone he knew recognized him? What kind of hellish joke was this?
“Can I not go?” Lin Jianqing held back for a moment, but finally asked.
“I’ve already been shopping with you for a long time today. And if I go watch the competition looking like this, what if I run into my roommates? They seemed to have gone this morning too.”
Shen Huaixue listened, then actually smiled.
“Wouldn’t that be even more interesting?”
“What’s interesting about it?”
“If they don’t recognize you, it means I didn’t teach you how to apply makeup for nothing. If they do recognize you, then your disguise skills still need improvement.”
Lin Jianqing looked at her, momentarily unable to decide whether to curse her for being crazy or admire how she could always find a way to torment him from any situation.
Lin Jianqing: “Can I really not go?”
“No.” Shen Huaixue refused decisively. Without waiting for Lin Jianqing to say anything else, she increased her grip and dragged him toward the parking lot.
When they reached the parking lot, Lin Jianqing originally thought they’d have to line up to enter, but after the car drove near the Linzhou City Center Gymnasium, the driver directly turned into a separate lane.
***
Outside, the crowd was huge. Many students and young people held tickets in their hands, and some even held cheering signs for the contestants. The large screen outside the venue was looping today’s match schedule.
The scene was grand.
Lin Jianqing looked out the window at the lively spectacle and suddenly felt a bit dazed. He had been in this world for quite a while, but he had rarely actually come into contact with superpowers.
Superpowers were more like background setting for this world to him. Written in textbooks, broadcast on the news, occasionally mentioned by people around him.
The fact that women gained absolute social advantage because of superpowers was a common sense that pressed down on everyone’s life like air.
Lin Jianqing knew it, of course, but knowing was one thing. Seeing the entire city get so excited over a superpower competition while sitting in the car was another thing entirely.
Outside the gymnasium, it was packed with people.
Some girls wore jackets identical to those of the contestants. Others were looking down, scrolling through live broadcasts of the competition. There were also stalls selling merchandise printed with awakener rank insignias.
Lin Jianqing even saw someone holding a glowing sign that read “XX Explodes the Stage,” and a few guys beside him were shouting excitedly as if they’d seen some top celebrity.
He stared, a little stunned. Shen Huaixue noticed his expression and leaned back in her seat to ask, “First time watching live?”
Lin Jianqing snapped back to reality.
“Yeah. Never had the time or the money before. Also, I don’t really follow this stuff.”
One reason was that humans had already controlled the trend of rift expansion.
Another was that Linzhou City, where Lin Jianqing had grown up, was in a relatively core area, so he had never really had much physical contact with superpowers and wasn’t well-informed about them.
Shen Huaixue didn’t laugh at him. Instead, she handed two tickets over to him.
“Then broaden your horizons today.”
Lin Jianqing glanced down at the tickets.
VIP seating, and in the inner field area?
He was silent for a moment.
“When did you buy these tickets?”
“No need to buy them.”
Shen Huaixue said it casually.
“The funds under Spirit Jade and the Shen Family are sponsors. The organizers gave us a few tickets. After all, I am the financial backer.”
Lin Jianqing looked at her.
‘Oh, right. I almost forgot.’
The process for someone like Shen Huaixue to watch a competition was different from that of a normal person.
After all, she was the financial backer. The class gap hit Lin Jianqing like a punch again.
When they got out of the car, Shen Huaixue naturally wrapped her arm around Lin Jianqing’s again.
Lin Jianqing’s body stiffened, and he said in a low voice, “There are more people here. Can you act normal?”
Shen Huaixue looked straight ahead and said calmly, “It’s because there are more people that we have to be like this. If you suddenly keep your distance from me now, it’ll look even more suspicious.”
“Then you shouldn’t have made me go out dressed like this in the first place.”
“You look good today.”
Lin Jianqing was choked by her sudden compliment. But Shen Huaixue acted as if she hadn’t said anything strange and continued leading him toward the VIP entrance.
The gazes of passersby quickly fell on them. Outside the gymnasium, there were already many people. Two well-dressed girls walking arm-in-arm into the VIP passage—it was hard not to attract attention.
Especially since Shen Huaixue’s aura was so cold, and Lin Jianqing kept his head down out of discomfort, which only made him look more like a weak girlfriend being shown around by her strong girlfriend.
Lin Jianqing heard a girl behind him whisper:
“Is that couple a thing? They look so good together.”
“Yeah, and both of them are so pretty. It’s really rare.”
He almost stumbled. Shen Huaixue, of course, heard it too.
She tilted her head and looked at him, a faint smile in her eyes.
“Heard that?”
Lin Jianqing’s face was expressionless.
“No.”
“They said we look good together.”
“They were complimenting you.”
“Hold on, she said ‘that couple.'”
“You misheard.”
“I’m a supernatural being. My hearing is better than yours.”
Lin Jianqing closed his eyes.
“Can’t you use your abilities for something more worthwhile?”
Shen Huaixue let out a soft laugh and held his arm even tighter.
“This use is pretty worthwhile right now.”
Lin Jianqing didn’t want to talk anymore. He felt like a forced-mascot being made to perform.
Once they entered the gymnasium, the noise inside became even more pronounced. The huge circular stands were already filled with many spectators. In the center was the competition area covered by a transparent protective screen.
The floor was made of a special alloy material, with a ring of pale blue energy patterns along the edges. The large screen was playing a pre-match promotional video.
The contestants’ names and ranks flashed by one by one. Every time an A-level Awakener was introduced, the audience would erupt in cheers.
Lin Jianqing stood at the entrance of the passage, feeling the heat of the so-called “superpower competition” for the first time. It wasn’t data from the news or history from textbooks.
To be honest, Lin Jianqing didn’t know much about the specific ranking of supernatural beings. He only knew it was similar to drawing cards in a gacha game.
It was the voices, the lights, and the arena in the center that hadn’t even started yet but already made his heart tighten.
Shen Huaixue turned her face to look at him.
“Scared?”
Lin Jianqing snapped back to reality and said quietly, “No. It’s just my first time watching live. I’m not used to it.”
Shen Huaixue looked at him, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
“Then take your time watching.”
She led him toward the VIP seating.
Lin Jianqing walked beside her. People were still sneaking glances at them.
The feeling of being mistaken for a lesbian couple hadn’t faded yet, and now the new scene of the superpower competition was pressing down on him. For a moment, he didn’t know whether he should be embarrassed first or awestruck.
In the end, he could only silently curse in his heart.
This woman, Shen Huaixue, really knew how to pick a place to torment him.
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